How do fluid mechanics, aeromechanics and heat transfer contribute to next-generation designs of compressors, expanders, and high-performance components? What ramifications will these developments have for power generation, aviation, and space?
To answer these questions, the Turbomachinery and Propulsion group is working on several research projects involving experimental and numerical analyses. These projects are closely linked to major Swedish industrial partners, including GKN Aerospace AB and Siemens Energy AB, ensuring our research is relevant to real industry challenges.
One of the department's core strengths lies in our experimental capabilities, continuously updating or building test rigs. Our facilities are equipped to handle a wide range of experimental needs, including in-house five-hole probe calibrations, steady-state turbine complex sector airflow systems, with purge systems, aeroelastic response testing at transonic speeds, non-intrusive measurements using pressure-sensitive paint, aero-acoustic resonance detection, heat transfer, and pyrolysis analysis in aerospace applications, and studies on surface roughness in additive manufacturing under steady-state conditions.
Join senior researcher and lab lead Jens Fridh as he walks you through some of our main test rigs. The first is a specialized test turbine used in commissioned research for Siemens Energy AB to understand complex sector airflow systems. The second is a newly built Transonic Linear Cascade, developed to study aeroengine vibrations, funded by an EU project and the Swedish innovation agency VINNOVA.
Explore our ongoing research projects, listed below. We welcome questions and contact for potential academic and industrial synergies.
Projects
ADA – Aggressive Duct Aerodynamics
The ADA (Aggressive Duct Aerodynamics) project is a project coordinated by GKN Aerospace Sweden AB, carried out in collaboration with KTH. The project is implemented through two technical work packages led by GKN (WP1) and KTH (WP2) respectively. WP1 aims to understand the detailed flow in aerodynamically aggressive intermediate compressor ducts and to establish the most effective methods to predict these flows, while WP2 aims to investigate the most effective methods to extend the aerodynamic duty of such ducts by using passive and active flow control devices. ADA is intended to run in parallel to, and collaborate with, the German LuFo project RDUCT where experimental research will be done on active and passive flow control in intermediate compressor ducts by TU-Berlin and DLR in Germany. Experimental data from RDUCT will be shared with ADA.
The project aims at obtaining experimental data to verify and improve accuracy in aerodynamic damping and flutter predictions for the conditions where available calculation methods are not fully validated or reliable. In particular, the focus will be on aeroelastic response of the compressor blades vibrating in a near stall flow condition.
ARIAS - Advanced Research Into Aeromechanical Solutions
The overall aim of the ARIAS project is to improve the design methods employed by aircraft engine manufacturers to predict aeromechanical vibrations, which occur due to the interaction of the component vibration with the air flow through the machine.
The main overall objective is systematically experimentally quantify the coupled resonance occurring due to interaction between vortex oscillations from the boundary layer / shear layer flow passing over a cavity and the acoustic cavity. This targeted to provide validation data for in-house acoustic codes at industry in order to strengthen design prediction capabilities.
Turbomachinery in its various applications form the principal prime mover in the energy and aviation industries. Any improvement to this vast fleet of machines has the potential of significant impact on global emissions. Areas identified to benefit from continued research are the topics of flow mixing and cooling.
These are topics inherent in stationary gas turbines and jet engines due to the hot gas flows utilized. Cooling is achieved through injection of cold air in critical areas and thereby ensuring safe operation. The cooling however comes at a cost. On the cycle level this flow requires power to be compressed to the appropriate pressure, but does not contribute to the cycle output. In addition, the injection itself reduces the output power due to the losses associated with the mixing process. The study is centered to a turbine testing facility allowing detailed flow measurements in a rotating turbine stage under the influence of the cavity purge flow and also develop CFD models which can simulate the flow physics accurately.
DARLING — Damaged and Repaired Blade Modeling with in-situ Experiments
The project focuses on aerodynamic and aeromechanical evaluation and detection of degraded and damaged fan- and compressor blades, as well as repair actions, in modern aero engines. The project is coordinated by GKN Aerospace AB and continues an established collaboration between GKN, KTH and Stuttgart University, Germany. The collaboration with Stuttgart University allows Swedish partners access to advanced European experimental infrastructure in aerospace engineering which does not exist in Sweden.
Under the project, which spans over 1.5 years, GKN Aerospace and KTH will together develop fan technology for smaller regional aircraft. The project will study aerodynamic design, performance, noise and manufacturing technology for a ducted fan powered by electricity, either from batteries, hydrogen fuel cells or even more conventional hybrid propulsion solutions.
The proposed propulsion solution with a ducted fan instead of a conventional propeller offers significant advantages in three main areas: safety, noise level and engine installation. By rapidly demonstrating fan technology for electric aviation, the EleFanT project will accelerate the pace of electric aviation development and position the participants for international aero-engine and aircraft development projects.
HP4NAR — Next generation Heat Pumps with NAtural Refrigerants for district heating and cooling systems
Due to the need to decarbonize the heating sector, alternative pathways of producing heat are needed where large heat pumps (HP) can play an important role. To make optimal HP designs with high performance and wide operating range there is a need for a compressor test platform to ensure research advancements. The project will strengthen the already ongoing, related energy research at the department of Energy Technology KTH. Several EU and national funded projects are studying novel concepts concerning heat pump cycles and their key components. Exploration and utilization are ensured with a broad representation from industry and academia within the project group.
MERiT — Methane in Rocket nozzle cooling channels - conjugate heat Transfer measurements
For future rocket propulsion systems it is of strategic importance to develop knowledge of the heat transfer characteristics and material influence at relevant operating conditions. This project will investigate, for different relevant nickel-alloys and typical channel geometries, hydrocarbon fuels and operating conditions to determine: heat transfer coefficient (HTC), degree of coking and corrosion in the cooling channel, pressure loss as a function of supplied heat load, wall temperature, Reynolds number, fuel composition and pressure level.
STAMPE – Space Turbines Additive Manufacturing Performance Evaluation
Additive manufacturing (AM) as a production method for components is becoming increasingly promising around the world, this project looks at the use of AM components in the space industry, particularly in propulsion technology. With all major space agencies moving towards reusable space launchers, this process comes in handy as very complex shapes can be manufactured with relative ease and with shorter lead times, however the inherent surface roughness of the components produced using this method poses a challenge to the widespread usability of this method as designing efficient turbomachinery for the rocket launchers would require us to understand the effect of surface roughness on the performance of these turbomachines. The study of this critical phenomena is a vital step to certify this manufacturing process for the space industry which has stringent safety requirements for components.
The focus of the VIFT project is on the reduction of noise from modern efficient aero engines and the continued development of a virtual demonstrator environment aimed at turbomachinery studies. The virtual platform that will be developed further in the project has previously been shown to promote technical collaboration, research and information exchange between academia and industry in Sweden. The VIFT project will facilitate the development of methods for aircraft engine noise evaluation and innovative component designs targeting improved engine performance and increased overall efficiency.
VILD — Virtual Integrated soLutions for future Demonstrators and products
This project continues the development of a future engine concept where focus is on increased electrification, engine weight reduction and overall noise reduction. The impact of new technologies on the aircraft engine architecture is studied and quantified to better understand the associated challenges. The virtual platform that will be developed further in the project has previously been shown to promote technical collaboration, research and information exchange between academia and industry in Sweden. The project will facilitate the development of methods for aircraft engine component designs targeting improved engine performance and increased overall efficiency.
